Sand?

S

sotchong

Member

May 2, 2005

17

0

• May 17, 2005

• #1

Have any of you guys taken your kdx's in the sand. Buddies want to go ride the dunes not sure about the bike out there. They all have big 450 thumpers.

 

G

Green Hornet

Member

Apr 2, 2005

837

0

• May 17, 2005

• #2

I rode the sand on Sunday for the first time. A whole different experience. Going straight was not bad if you had speed, but turning is another story. Alot of muscle was needed during the harescramble or SANDSCRAMBLE. The shallow sand was not a problem but the deep crap is unbelievable :bang: The KDX works fine, but its a learning experience :laugh:

 

S

StrokesX2

Member

Mar 2, 2005

44

0

• May 17, 2005

• #3

We've got lots of deep sand at one place where I ride. It takes some getting used to. On the straights and long sweepers, it helps to keep your speed up so the tires don't have time to sink in. It also helps to set back on the seat a little to keep weight off the front tire. Tighter sections are a lot tougher. Maybe someone else can offer advice on that.

 

X

xtremekdx

Member

Feb 21, 2004

11

0

• May 17, 2005

• #4

I took mine to the oregon dunes. it was a little short on horsepower. it did a lot better on the wet sand.

 

T

tagruvto

Member

Oct 11, 2003

3

0

• May 17, 2005

• #5

I took my KDX220 to Oceano over Easter. My bike is totally stock and I thought it did
quite well. I was able to go everywhere. StrokesX2 is right - keep your speed and RPM's up and you'll have a lot more fun! My old bike was a KX 250 with a paddle - Man was that a blast!

I grew up down there - so here's a little practical advice. You can go quite a bit faster over the dunes while your riding towards the ocean (into the prevailing wind). BUT!!! Watch your speed and the dune layout when you are heading away from the surf. The wind shapes the dunes in such a way that you can find yourself hurling over a big drop offf - and even sand hurts from 40 feet up. Also - wear good goggles and wash your bike really well as soon as possible after a day at the beach.

 

1

1tontj

Member

Mar 19, 2004

328

0

• May 18, 2005

• #6

And toss the stock dunlop tires they SUCK in the sand really bad.

Phil

 

G

Green Hornet

Member

Apr 2, 2005

837

0

• May 18, 2005

• #7

1tontj said:

And toss the stock dunlop tires they SUCK in the sand really bad.

Phil

Click to expand...

You got that right. The 220 powered through the deep stuff very well, its the sharp turns that are a bitch :yikes:

 

Mully

Moderator / SuperPowers

Jun 9, 1999

4,234

115

• May 18, 2005

• #8

For turns, never chop the throttle, the front end tends to dive more in the sand.

Mully

 

N

notenuftoys

Member

Sep 3, 2004

101

0

• May 18, 2005

• #9

I rode a TTR-250 through sand last summer, and it did fine. Actually preferred that over my nephew's YZ-125. But it's a different experience. Just remember the Big Mo, momentum. Easy on the throttle taking off, and easy on the brakes when stopping.

 

1

1tontj

Member

Mar 19, 2004

328

0

• May 18, 2005

• #10

The stock dunlops don;t only suck on turns, they are useless at sand hill climbs.
Throw on a set of michelin S-12's and start smiling!

Phil

 

M

MUDMAX

Member

Jan 7, 2003

46

0

• May 18, 2005

• #11

The Michelin MS-2 I just installed on front this winter is a LOT better than the Dunlop "thing" ! I think it doesn't deserve the name "tire".....

 

J

John Harris

Member

Apr 15, 2002

552

0

• May 18, 2005

• #12

Sand loads the engine very heavily and you tend to run wide open all time--thus be sure your main jet is rich enough or you might seize and engine! Far different environment than woods riding on dirt or rocks! Cheers John

 

kmccune

2-Strokes forever

LIFETIME SPONSOR

Jul 3, 1999

2,726

1

• May 18, 2005

• #13

Don’t ride as far forward as you normally would ( assuming you do) in the corners or you will fall over. Stay more centered in the corners and way back to keep the front lite in the straights. Try to steer with the throttle more then normal too. Make sure that you clean and oil your filter and I always put some grease around the lip of the filter for sand too.

 

S

spl170_btc

Member

May 21, 2000

34

0

• Jun 3, 2005

• #14

How do you guys prep your bikes for Sand riding? I tool my 99 CR 250 to Sand Lakes 2 years ago with the nylon pantyhose over the air filter trick and $800 later I got my motor back from Eric Gorr. Does anyone make a pre-filter for 2 wheelers?

 

B

bikepilot

Member

Nov 12, 2004

804

0

• Jun 3, 2005

• #15

When I rode duens, I just changed my filter every day or two. OEM filters with plenty of filter oil (bell ray). I also used PC filter skins (oiled). Outwares makes pre-filters as well (theirs are completly different than the PC filter skins). A few other companies sell re-branded outwares pre-filters as well. Check in the most recent crapperell catilog. Also, make sure your air box/boot/carb/reed cage connections are well seald and use plenty of grease on the filter lip.

Also, don't waste your time with knobbies in the dunes, get a ching chin paddle tire (<$50). It makes a world of difference, especially if you don't have a lot of power to spare. For a KDX don't go more than 8 paddles. A 250 works well with 8 and can pull 10 if you want. A 500 does really well with 10. I'd probably go with a 6 on a 125 or smaller. The cheep ching chin paddle tire works much better than the $$$ skat track tires imho (the paddles are molded in like a normal tire rather than being glued on like a skat track). I saw many people loose paddles from Skat track tires during my 1-month stint in the dunes. For turns, keep the power on and don't be afraid to lean it over and move some sand:)